Electrical line apparatus



May 13, 1930. E. J. DE RIGHT ELECTRICAL LINE APPARATUS Filed Aug. 16.1928 In venfior:

Patented 'May 1 3, 1930 ELON 3'. .DE RIGHT, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURIELECTRICAL LINE APPARATUS Application filed August 16, 1928. Serial No.300,103.

This invention relates to electrical line apparatns and has articularreference to an improved device or connecting guy or line wires andcables together, or to associated apparatus, in a simple, practical andefficient manner. v

One object is to provide means for connecting a plurality of likepresented, laterally spaced, cable-ends by a connecting bridge member,or yoke, spanning the space between, and having means for anchoringlyreceiving, said ends.

Another object is to provide an improved form of cable loop or eyeincluding means for connecting laterally spaced, like presented, cableloop ends, to a medially disposed, oppositely presented, guy or lineend, said cable loop ends normally being in parallel relation.

Still another object is to provide means for connecting oppositelypresented cableens continuing or spliced relation, by a member adaptedto receive said ends in clamping engagement.

further object is to provide means adapted for use in connecting astrain insnlater to a guy or line Wire, or the like, by means or amember median'y the guy or line wire and spanning centers of air of loopreceiving grooves in the in snlator for receiving the legs of a U-shapedmember aligned with and engaging said grooves, whereby the stresses inthe insulator are evenly distributed, and the load from the centralcable equalized or balanced; thus avoiding so-called spot-loading orlocaliced or pinching stresses which commonly occur in strain insulatorswhen used in connecticn with ordinary looped cable-ends or A. stillfurther object is to provide means for rapidly and eiliciently securingcablel y means of an enclosing member in device adapted to unlay thecable said enclosing member, thus eliminating the practice of serving orcable-wrapping.

With the foregoing objects in view, I will describe by invention, whichconsists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of partshereinafter fully and concisely claims, and illustrated improved cabledescribed, definitely pointed out in the y the accompanying drawing, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is an end view of a three-cone cable yoke; Fig.2isapartlysectional side view of Fig. 1; 3 is a partly sectional sideview of a modified form of my invention embodyin a two-tone yoke, shownin connection wit a stranded cable end wedgingly inserted in one of thecable openings for connection to the yoke; Fig. 4 is a view showing athreecone yoke, in association with a strain insulator, illustrating themanner of forming my loop; Fig. 5 is a view along the line 5-5 of Fig.3; Fi 6 is a partly sectional side view of a wedging element; Fig. 7 isa part1 sectional side View of a modified form 0 my invention embodyinga two-cone clevis yoke; Fig. 8 is a sectional view of a splice ballembodying a modified form of my, invention; and Fig. 9 is an'end View ofthe splice ball shown in Fig. 8.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, I show, by Way ofillustration or" my invention, one form thereof, best seen in N Figs. 1,2 and l, which preferably comprises a rigid yoke or connecting device Aincluding a yoke-bar or bridge member 1 having at its ends parallelbosses or cable-hubs 2, each axially channeled by a similarly facing,preferably frusto-conical, cable-opening 3 for wedglngly receiving acableend 4, as seen in Fig. 8 in connection with a modified form of theinvention presently to be described. As suggested in Fig. 4, the cablehubs 2 may conform to, and span the center distance of the pair ofcable-grooves 5 of an associated strain insulator B, the cable-ends 4,in this case, forming the groove-fitting termi nals' or" my improvedUshaped flexible member or cable-loop G having its bight 6 mountinglypassed through said insulator in the usual. aperture provided therein,and its legs endwise presented therefrom; "the yoke A bridging the openend of the U-shaped cable-loop G, with the legs thereof anchored in thehubs 2, as will presentely appear.

By this construction it will be seen that the loop-ends are bridginglysupported across the end of the insulator body, so that the stresses setup in the insulator are evenly distributed therein, whereby any pinchingaction by the cable-loop, such as commonly occurs when using ordinarycable eye loops, is in my construction entirely avoided by reason of theapproximately parallel arran ement of the legs of the U-shaped memberand the uniform contact of the loop C on the insulator B.

or U-shaped member, opening in the direction P of the small ends of thecable hubs 2, the yokebar 1 forming the bight thereof, as sug ested inFi 3. Other similar elements of this modi ed form of yoke A, have thesame form and function as hereinbefore set forth for like referencedparts of the yoke A. The yoke A has, in actual practice, been founduseful when employed in crossed pairs, back to back, for connecting theinsulators B into groups or assemblies common to. line structures; butfor connecting a yoke A, or the terminal insulators of such a group, toa guy or other line wire, I preferably employ a three-cone yoke asdescribed, both forms, P

however, when suitably connected to approriate load carrying cables,form an equaliz- 1ng load-transmitting device, or bridge, which 5 ansthe insulator loop-receiving grooves or evenly distributing the loadfrom or to the several cables in an eflicient and practical manner.

Although my invention may be used with cables or wires of other formsand sizes, I have found in practice that uy and line'wires are commonlyseven-strand cables having a central or core strand 10, and six laidstrands 11 (Fig. 5), such cables being also intende to be used for thecable loop C (Fig. 4,) scrap ends of the guy and line wires forming aneconomical and convenient source of sup ly thereof. "As best seen inFig. 3, each ca le end 4 is passed through the small end of itscable-hub 2, with the strands 11 divergingly unlaid from the core strand10, to engage the sloping wall of the cable opening 3.

For wedging the cable-end 4 in the opening 3, I may employ a filler,such as cast or hammeredleador copper, but I prefer to. provide avwedging member or cone 12, centrally channeled as at 13 for slidingreception of thecore-strand 10, and having, at its larger orspreader-end, a plurality, preferably six, latorally extending spreaderelements or ribs 14 'in Fig. 8.

for spreading engagement between the several strands 11 to unlay saidstrands and space the same uniformly against the wall of thecable-opening 3, (Fig. 5). The adjacent ribs l lform therebetween, wireor strand receiving grooves or channels 14' which may be grooved in thecone 12, to conform to the helical twist in the several wires as theyare unlaid; but I prefer, as shown, to form each of the ribs 14 with atapered or sloped strand presented end, as suggested in Fig. 6. The ribsor spreader elements 14 unlay the strands 11 in a simple and positivemanner; prevent bunching of the strands; assure the uniform distributionof stresses in the cable-hubs 3, and insure equal im osition of the loadon the several strands 11 o the cable end.

The cable-hub 2, in connection with the spreader elements on the cone12, also forms a simple and effective means for securing cable-ends,thus eliminating serving or wraping of the cable-end to preventundesirable raveling of the strands.

To connect a cable, as 9, to the yoke A, the cable-end 4 thereof ispassed through the small end of the cable-opening 3, sufficiently topermit unlaying the strands 11 from the core-strand 10, as described.The cone 12 with its small end foremost is then slid over thecore-strand 10 with the spreader elements 14 engaged between the severalstrands 11, and the end of the core-strand 10 is hooked or bent over thespreader-endof the cone, as suggested at 15 (Fig. 3).

To complete the operation,;the cable 9 1s ulled back or away from thecable-hub 2 until wedging action occurs on the cable strands 11 betweenthe cone 12 and the wall of the cable-opening 3; the taper of the cone12 preferably conforming substantially to the taper of the wall of thecable-opening 3.

In Fig. 7 I show a modified form of my invention embodying a two-coneclevisoke A wherein the yoke-bar 1 has a pair 0 preferably integrallyformed, spaced clevis members 16 extending in the direction of thelargerends of the cable-hubs 2, and having aligning transverse pin receivingapertures 17 for d attachment of an eye bolt or like member (not shown).Such aclevis-yoke A may be used for dead-ending in conjunction with aneyebolt, or for like purposes obvious to those skilled in the art. Otherelements shown in the modified form A have the same form and function ashereinbefore set forth for like referenced parts in the three cone yokeA. In Figs. 8 and 9 I my invention, which I describe as a spliceball D,adapted for use in connecting or s licing opposing cable-ends incontinuing direction, as suggested by the center line 18 Provided in ablock 19 and obliquely disposed to the center line 18, with their smallends 20 op sitely centered thereon, and with their a'rge ends 21 openingshow a modified form of I through the oppositely inclined sides of theblock 19, are parallel adjacent frusto-conical cable openings 22, eachadapted to coact with one of the cones 12, similarly to the cablehubs 2,as hereinbefore described, for wedgingly receiving the ends of theassociated cables (not shown). Such a splice ball D may be used in placeof a guy-clamp for splicing wires or cables, or for like purposesobvious to those skilled in the art.

' I claim as my invention:

1. In a connecting device for stranded cable including a member having atapered cable receiving opening, a wedgin member for insertion in theopening, slirfiibly disposed on the cable to be secured in said opening,and strand-engaging projections disposed on the wedging member.

2. In a connecting device for stranded cable, including an internallytapered member adapted to surround an end portion of the cable, a wedgeadapted to be received by the surrounded cable portion, and tapered projections on said wedge for (llSPOSlIlg certain v ble,

of the cable strands in spaced relation.

3. In a connecting device for stranded caincluding an internally taperedmember adapted to surround a portion of the cable an element carrying aplurality of tapered lugs adapted to separate the strands and maintainthem in spaced relation within said member.

4. In a connecting device for stranded ca-' ble, including an internallytapered member adapted to surround a portion of the cable, a spreaderelement having an opening therethrough adapted to receive the corestrand of the cable, and a plurality of wed e-shaped projections on saidelement, adapte to maintain the remaining strands in spaced, clampedrelation within said member.

5. In an-end securing device for stranded cable, including a memberhaving a tapered cable opening, a wedging member slidable on thecore-strand of the cable, and wedge-like projections on said wedgingmembers, adapted to engage the other strands of the cable for unlayingthe same in said opening.

6. In a cable connecting device, including a cable receiving memberhaving a frustoconical cable receiving 0 ning, a frustoconical wedgingmember slldable on the corestrand of the cable and having an exteriorsurface portion conforming to the wall of said opening for wedging theother strands of the cable between the wall and wedging member; saidwedging member including a plurality of tapered ln s, disposed near oneend of the member and adapted for spreadingly engagin said lastmentioned strands for unlaying t e same in said cable receivm openin gELON J. DE RIGHT.

